When anglers sit out on the water, they tend to do a lot of guesswork about what’s going on below.​Sonar equipment takes a lot of that guesswork out of the equation, but if you’re not on a bass boat then you’re probably not using it unless you buy a handheld fish finder like the iBobber or Deeper, which have received somewhat mixed reviews from anglers for their accuracy.

With the Super Bowl making its grand return to the Great North on Sunday, Minnesota-based lure company Rapala has been offering a pretty cool activity this week for those in Minneapolis for the big game.​

If it seems like the lineup for the 2018 Topeka Boat and Outdoor Show is all over the map, it’s because it is — by design.​“Yes, there is something at the show for all those that love Kansas outdoors,” said Phil Taunton, organizer and host of the What’s in Outdoors radio program on KVOE-AM (1400) in Emporia.

This week, I received an email from Elmer Hedrick, 82, of Shawnee.​Elmer says he gets The Topeka Capital-Journal from his sister-in-law in Emporia and read a recent column of mine on ice fishing and heated docks. He enjoys crappie fishing but didn’t much like the idea of ice fishing in the cold. However, he wanted to know if I had any tips on heated docks he could hit this winter in Kansas, preferably ones close to home.

Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Mo. (Submitted)

Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Mo., was recently named America’s Best New Attraction after it was voted on by readers from a list of nominees by USA Today.